Special Sabbath of prayer and fasting. Record Wrap - September 8, Adventist Heritage Center

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1 Adventist Heritage Center From: Record enews on behalf of Record enews Sent: Thursday, September 7, :27 PM To: Adventist Heritage Center Subject: Special Sabbath of prayer and fasting New magazine is designed to be shared Opinion: It is time for Adventists to speak up about the burqa Special Sabbath of prayer and fasting Seventh-day Adventist churches in Australia will unite for special prayer over the outcome of the upcoming postal plebiscite. Record Wrap - September 8, 2017 New magazine is designed to be shared Men s ministry plan developed for Australian Adventists Baptisms 1

2 create history in Tonga. New magazine is designed to be shared Church members involved in running ministries for young families, such as playgroups, will play a vital role in distributing At The Table magazine to the community. Money on the mind (Part 2) Finding a solution to the "rich mind" problem. Teenager uses holiday break to conduct an evangelistic program School holidays are usually a time when students like to relax and hang out with their friends but 16-year-old Inoke Kini preached instead. 2

3 #RecordRoaming: Youth Retention Tour Opinion: It is time for Adventists to speak up about the burqa Adventists have always stood for religious freedom but should we support a burqa ban in the interest of public safety? Youth are leaving the Church in droves. What can be done? Follow Adventist Record editor Jarrod Stackelroth's blog as he takes part in a Youth Retention Tour across the South Island of New Zealand. And remember... Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken" (Psalm 55:22, 3

4 NIV). Copyright 2017 Adventist Media. All rights reserved. Have a story to share? us at news@record.net.au, or visit record.adventistchurch.com/contact/ update your preferences unsubscribe from this list 4

5 Special Sabbath of prayer and fasting By Tracey Bridcutt - September 8, 2017 The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia (AUC) has announced a special Sabbath of prayer and fasting on September 16 in light of the upcoming postal plebiscite on changing the definition of marriage. Yesterday, the High Court dismissed a legal challenge to the postal vote. Ballots will now be sent out from next week. We believe that it is essential that the Church come together for special prayer over the outcome of this postal vote and for the potential consequences for our society, AUC secretary Michael Worker said. One thing seems clear, regardless of the outcome of the vote, the discussion about marriage will not end there. There will be ongoing lobbying and discussion as the perceived and real consequences flow.

6 Pastor Worker said recent cases in the media have shown that there can be significant consequences for those in the public spotlight who have dared to speak up for the No campaign. We are living in a time of significant social tension and upheaval as this debate continues, and this flows into the lives of our churches, schools and homes. My prayer is that as Christians we can respectfully and tactfully discuss these matters, demonstrating the love of Christ to all whom we communicate with. Suggested prayer points include: That the debate is conducted with love and respect. Concern for people within the LGBT community whose wellbeing is negatively impacted by the debate. Concern that the Government is not willing to discuss any potential legislative changes until after the vote is taken. Concern that even though the Government s own Senate select committee in February indicated that there is a need to provide protections for freedom of religion, there has been no legislative framework developed to protect freedom of conscience, thought and religion. The result of the plebiscite will be announced on November 15 at 11.30am. Votes must be in by November 7. A booklet and resources outlining the Adventist Church s position on the debate are available online at written by Tracey Bridcutt Head of News & Editorial

7 Adventist Record encourages quality conversation and welcomes your thoughtful comments. Comments are not subject to approval, but will be monitored by website administrators. Comments will be removed if they contain any of the following: Advertisements or websites Profanity Libellous statements Language insensitive to other religions Comments not relating to the topic Comments in all capital letters Individuals may not make statements on behalf of any organisation. You may not represent that you are another person, real or fictitious, or imply a connection with an organisation with which you are not affiliated. While you may challenge opinions, you may not write personal attacks about another commenter. Comment threads will automatically close after seven days. Comments made during this period will remain visible on the website. Adventist Record reserves the right to remove any comments at any time. The opinions expressed in Adventist Record comments are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist Media and/or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

8 New magazine is designed to be shared By Melody Tan - September 4, 2017 Editor Melody Tan and graphic designer Theodora Amuimuia. At The Table magazine has officially launched as a free monthly publication, following an extremely positive response to a special trial edition published in May. The magazine is aimed at women who play a special role in the lives of young children, either as mums, aunties or friends. It is part of a wider ministry that incorporates a weekly women s panel TV show, a website and social media channels. The TV show, which began airing in February, recently launched its second season. With the tagline Real women Real conversations Real issues, At The Table magazine, published by Adventist Media, has been specially designed for church members to share with their non-church-attending friends and as a non-confronting way to present a Christian perspective on topics such as family, health, faith and social trends.

9 impact them, and form authentic relationships with each other. Readers are encouraged to join the At The Table online community to share their experiences and opinions on issues that Church members involved in running ministries for young families, such as playgroups or mothers groups, will play a vital role in distributing At The Table magazine to the community. The September issue is now available and has a special dads theme, including Daddy day care : one man s experience as a stay-at-home dad. The magazine is also filled with health and wellbeing advice, recipes, exercise tips, book giveaways and more. If you would like free copies to distribute, julielaws@adventistmedia.org.au. To watch the TV show and for more information on how you can get involved in the ministry, go to or written by Melody Tan Adventist Record encourages quality conversation and welcomes your thoughtful comments. Comments are not subject to approval, but will be monitored by website administrators. Comments will be removed if they contain any of the following: Advertisements or websites Profanity Libellous statements Language insensitive to other religions Comments not relating to the topic Comments in all capital letters Individuals may not make statements on behalf of any organisation. You may not represent that you are another person, real or fictitious, or imply a connection with an organisation with which you are not affiliated. While you may challenge opinions, you may not write personal attacks about another commenter.

10 Comment threads will automatically close after seven days. Comments made during this period will remain visible on the website. Adventist Record reserves the right to remove any comments at any time. The opinions expressed in Adventist Record comments are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist Media and/or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

11 Teenager uses holiday break to conduct an evangelistic program By Willy Egeegesia/Record staff - September 7, 2017 Pathfinder preacher Inoke Kini. School holidays are usually a time when students like to relax and hang out with their friends but 16- year-old Inoke Kini from Suva Adventist College (Fiji) conducted an evangelistic program instead. The Year 11 student, who attends Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tebara district, committed his holiday break to conducting two-weeks of evangelism meetings in his home village of Lakena. In doing so he had to forgo attending one of Fiji s more significant events the Hibiscus Festival which is very popular with young people. The tent where the meetings were held was erected by Kini s Methodist family and friends. Decorations were organised by a 12-year-old Methodist boy, while the mission team who supported Kini throughout the program were made up mainly of Pathfinders from his local church.

12 Inoke with his pastor Willy Egeegesia. Kini s mother, his father and the Maranatha church members were his keen supporters. Other people who assisted him included his brother and a deacon from a nearby Methodist church. The program ended well with four precious souls being led to Jesus, including Kini s father, his older brother and the deacon who assisted him to erect the meeting tent. The baptisms were conducted on September 2. A church has been planted in the village of Lakena as a result of Kini s evangelistic initiative. Adventist Record encourages quality conversation and welcomes your thoughtful comments. Comments are not subject to approval, but will be monitored by website administrators. Comments will be removed if they contain any of the following: Advertisements or websites Profanity Libellous statements Language insensitive to other religions Comments not relating to the topic Comments in all capital letters Individuals may not make statements on behalf of any organisation. You may not represent that you are another person, real or fictitious, or imply a connection with an organisation with which you are not affiliated.

13 While you may challenge opinions, you may not write personal attacks about another commenter. Comment threads will automatically close after seven days. Comments made during this period will remain visible on the website. Adventist Record reserves the right to remove any comments at any time. The opinions expressed in Adventist Record comments are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist Media and/or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

14 Opinion: It is time for Adventists to speak up about the burqa By Kent Kingston - September 4, 2017 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) A SkyNews/ReachTEL poll released last week indicates that a majority of Australians 56.3 per cent support banning the burqa, the full-length Muslim garment that covers a woman s face. I would hope that Adventists, with our traditional commitment to religious liberty, would not share the majority s view. But being aware of the large numbers of Adventists who are politically conservative, I have my doubts. In 2014 General Conference lawyers stepped in, unasked, to defend the rights of 23-year-old Samantha Elauf, who had been denied a job due to her wearing a Muslim headscarf, the hijab. But in Australia we re confused, with some Adventist schools allowing students to wear the hijab or Sikh turban and others denying this right, saying it breaches their uniform policy.

15 Yes, the burqa the full covering of the face and body is a more confronting garment than the headscarf hijab, which is essentially the same as worn by traditional Catholic nuns or any number of Greek nannas. But the principle must remain the same. If Adventists believe in the free and public expression of faith, we must speak up in favour of allowing people to wear the burqa. And we must also lead by example within the walls of our entities and institutions by minimising the barriers to the free expression of faith. What about security concerns regarding the burqa? Various jurisdictions have already taken care of this. A person wearing a garment that conceals their appearance a deep hood or a motorcycle helmet, for example is legally compelled to remove it when entering a secure area. Or they must show their face to an authorised security officer who requests it. The burqa is already included under these kinds of arrangements. The security argument is a scare tactic used by people who feel personally discomfited by the burqa or who have a deeper anti-islamic agenda. And it will continue to be a scare tactic until we see a clear trend developing of crimes committed by burqa-wearing offenders. The push to ban a person from publically expressing their religion via their dress should concern Adventists. It s part of a larger pattern that includes calls to shut down hate speech that is, Christians publicly reiterating biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality and the systematic suppression of intelligent design in educational and scientific settings. If Adventists are committed to religious liberty, we need to defend it not just when our own interests are threatened, but when others are affected, even those with whom we disagree. written by Kent Kingston Assistant Editor Adventist Record encourages quality conversation and welcomes your thoughtful comments. Comments are not subject to approval, but will be monitored by website administrators. Comments will be removed if they contain any of the following:

16 Advertisements or websites Profanity Libellous statements Language insensitive to other religions Comments not relating to the topic Comments in all capital letters Individuals may not make statements on behalf of any organisation. You may not represent that you are another person, real or fictitious, or imply a connection with an organisation with which you are not affiliated. While you may challenge opinions, you may not write personal attacks about another commenter. Comment threads will automatically close after seven days. Comments made during this period will remain visible on the website. Adventist Record reserves the right to remove any comments at any time. The opinions expressed in Adventist Record comments are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist Media and/or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.